I've got a big announcement to make today, but before I do, let me give the newbies a little background.
Last year, I did a photo shoot for Well Rounded NY with lifestyle photographer, Raquel Bianca to document my morning routine. Many reacted to the photos negatively. People thought they looked too beautiful to be a real representation of my morning. One mother even claimed they set too high of an expectation for the average working mom.
I said the beauty of the photographs surprised me as well— I was terrified to do the shoot because I thought it would expose my mornings for what they were— chaotic, disorganized and unenjoyable. But photographs stop time and show the little moments we miss— the snuggle you give at 6am when your kids invade your bed, the shoe you slip on your baby's foot with your foreheads practically touching, the smile you let escape when your daughter requests pancakes AGAIN.
I bet that if I sent the same photographer to any mother's home, she would find the beauty in their mornings too. To prove my point, I selected five mothers from around the NYC area, via reader comments— my main objective that different parts of NY were represented. Raquel and I did not see photos of the mothers, their families or their homes prior to the shoots.
Since we wanted the real deal with nothing stylized, Raquel arrived at 6am. The moms involved had no time to get their families in order even if they tried.
The goal wasn't to make their mornings look crazy or messy or comically awful. The goal was to show that even amidst the chaos and the crumbs, even when you don't pick up all the toys and you've got syrup stains on your mismatched pajamas, there is still beauty. In fact, the real moments, the ones that really represent your life and your family every day, are probably the most beautiful.
And that's how the "Monday Morning" series was born.
Ilona from Queens:
Annie from the suburbs of New Jersey:
Borami from Hoboken:
Teresa from the Upper West Side:
Jennifer from Brooklyn:
The series was tremendously popular and changed not just the perspectives of the mothers involved, but the perspective of many readers as well.
“Seeing these photos, along with yours, does make me realize that despite my own perception of the never ending chaos and the feeling that I'm doing nothing 100% well, from the outside things look pretty lovely. It also makes me remember that it's the precious little moments, so beautifully captured here, that we rush through each day, that are the ones that truly matter." – Jessica (real person, I swear)
The one complaint I got about "Monday Mornings" was that it focused only on moms from the NYC area. Readers wished more mothers from across the country were represented. I agreed. Only, I didn't have a budget to fly a photographer around the United States to snap photos. The only way I would be able to do that is if I got the series sponsored.
Well, today I am excited to announce a partnership with Allstate, an insurance company dedicated to protecting families and keeping them in good hands, who has generously agreed to help me continue the Monday Morning series and take it to other parts of the United States.
Can we all pause to let that sink in for a moment? I've known this for at least a month now and I still don't think I fully believe it.
We are looking for 12 moms in four different US cities (one city being Chicago since that's where Allstate calls home) with all different routines and backgrounds to feature their Monday Mornings on Mommy Shorts. The posts will be very similar to the five posts already featured in the program— Allstate has been clear from the beginning that they want me to maintain the authenticity of each post and not change anything I was previously doing for “Monday Mornings”. They even agreed to fly Raquel around so that I could use the same amazing photographer who made the previous posts so special.
Raquel and I could not be more excited about this partnership and I hope you all are too!
If you are a mother living in the continental United States and would like the opportunity to be featured in the Monday Morning series, please leave a brief comment below with:
a) the city/state you live in
b) the number and ages of your kids
c) any information you think might be relevant to your morning routine— what time you and/or your partner leave for work, whether your children stay at home/are in daycare/go to school/etc., if you work at home, if you have a baby on the way, if you are a single mom, if you have live-in help, if you have extended family at home, if you live in a small space, if you live in a colossal mansion, etc.
For full terms and conditions, click here.
Over the next few weeks, we will be working diligently to find the 12 featured mothers in our series. We are not looking to feature only people with extenuating circumstances— we just want a variety of relatable mornings represented.
As I mentioned, we are looking to find sets of three moms in four different cities. The only definite city is Chicago. If you want to up your chances, tell your friends nearby to enter!
A huge thank you to Allstate for making my dream come true and sponsoring Monday Mornings. It's been clear since we started working together, the series is in very good hands.
I LOVED this project this first time around and can’t wait to see more Monday mornings!
a) We live in Defiance, Ohio – small town in northwest Ohio in the middle of a whole lot of farmland (2 1/2 hours from Indianapolis, 3 1/2 hours from Chicago)
b) We have two boys, 2 and 1
c) our mornings are pretty laid back – I work part-time from home (mostly during naps and at night once the kids go to bed), and my husband pastors a church less than a mile down the road. We usually get up sometime between 7 and 8, when we hear the boys babbling and laughing in their room across the hall. Then comes nursing, diaper changes, books, cuddles, breakfast – my husband is usually out the door by 9 and the boys and I ease into whatever the day holds at our own pace. Our house is medium sized – full of hand-me-down furniture and toy cars, trucks, trains and planes. We’d love to have you come visit!
What a wonderful idea! I am:
1) in Richmond, VA
2) a single working mom with a very vivacious, and quite clever 6-year-old boy.
3) We live in an apartment, start the routine around 5:45 am with 30 minutes of quiet mommy time, then really get rolling between 6:15-7:15. We’ve been single together (my son and I) for the past four years, so we both know the roles we should be able to play in our morning routine, and we somehow “get it together” enough to make it out of the house each morning! As many other single mothers (and army moms!) will agree- when you’re the only parent in the house, basically every morning is a Monday morning. We manage to run out the door by 7:15 or so each morning, so my son can catch the bus down the street and I can head off to teach high schoolers all day!
Congrats! But this project is so deserving. I loved seeing the mornings of others but felt a bit down about our routine because it seemed to involve more TV time than most.
a) We live in Easton, PA
b) We currently have two kids (5 years and 3 years) and one on the way.
c) My husband and I both work outside the home (college professors) and our kids are in daycare. The kids share a room and are up by 6am. Each day one of the two of us has to leave the house by 7am and the other drops the kids off around 8:15 (I’m fortunate enough that I can walk to work and to their daycare). The two of us tag-team the morning routine with the help of some video-time while we shower and dress and get everyone fed and out the door. Mornings are tough and I’m not sure what we’re going to do when the baby arrives, we’re functioning on far less sleep, and I have to add pumping to my morning routine!
I can’t wait to see the rest of this project.
1) Fulton, MD (right between Baltimore and DC)
2) two girls, age 2 & 4
3) my husband and I leave by 7:00 to carpool to both of our offices in Baltimore. Our girls are in daycare together during the day. We also have a chihuahua who helps wake everyone up.
1. Lathrop, MO- a town of 2000 people about 40 miles from Kanas City, MO
2. We have 2 girls ages 2 and 4. Girl #3 is scheduled to arrive around May 22nd. I have been teaching full time, but will become a stay a stay at home mom when #3 arrives. My husband leaves for work around 6am most mornings.
3. We live on 20 acres in a metal barn that has been converted into a 4 bedroom lodge style home. My goal is for the girls to sleep until 6am, but the reality is closer to 5:30 most days.
I loved this series. I live in a suburb outside of Dallas (Frisco, TX) with my husband and 2 kids (son age 7, daughter age 4). Just over 3 years ago we adopted our son from China at the age of 4 years old. At the time my daughter was 18 months. Going from one toddler to 2 kids has been chaotic and I’m just now feeling like I have a handle on it. My husband works very hard so I can stay home with the kids. When we moved into our new house 10 months ago, my (divorced)sister also moved to area and began her new job working nights as a nurse and I started watching her kids (boy age 9, girl age 5) 2-3 nights a week. My morning typically starts between 6 and 6:30am depending on if I’ve spent the night at my sisters or stayed at home. Because the kids go to the same schools everyone spends at least part of the morning in my kitchen before heading off for the day.
Can’t wait to see this new series and so grateful that Allstate is sponsoring.
What an inspiring project. One of the most shocking things about becoming a mom for me was the guilt I started to feel about almost everything. Guilt about not being present enough, about not preparing healthy food, not playing enough and not having a peaceful morning with good food. I am not a morning person and do not like routines…my kids love to get up early and to eat hot breakfast every day, so since August last year I decided to make peace with myself and embrace mornings. My husband gets up at 5:30am to do some exercise. I struggle with my conscious until 6:10 am and then I start to run. I get ready and prepare breakfast before waking up the kids, my husband gets ready and set the table while I take care of the kids. We arrive at the table at 7:00am and try to have breakfast together or at least they have breakfast while I finish the lunch boxes and prepare a special coffee for my super husband. They take off at 7:30 am and I have breakfast and arrange kitchen and bedrooms hopefully before 8:00am when I start to work at my home office. I live in Miami, FL and I am the mom of Alicia who is almost 2 years old and Leman who is 5 years old. This is our new routine, the one that makes me happy even though I do not like routines.
1. Beverly Hills, MI (suburb of Detroit)
2. 2 kids, 2.5 and 2 months
3. My husband is all great and whatever, but he leaves for work before the kids are even awake. So it’s just me, a newborn and a toddler, all trying to get out the door to take the toddler to day care. I am on maternity leave for a few more weeks, but I’m honestly terrified for when I go back to work and I have to be showered and ready for work too. It’s hard to believe there is any amount of grace or beauty in our mornings, but deep deep (deep) down I know that it’s there.
a) Gatlinburg, TN
b) 3 daughters, age 4 (five in a month!) 3, and 2 months
c) The hubs works nights, so he’s in bed for our mornings, so I pull the load myself. I don’t have to work until 4, so while our mornings aren’t rushed, they are BUSY. Since DH and I have opposite schedules, the kids always have somebody at home, so they don’t have daycare. We live in a small two bedroom apartment. I usually wake up at 6:30 so I can get a quick workout and shower in.. from that point on it’s super fast paced, and I do most of it while holding my youngest
My mornings are either crazy or fairly calm. I’m glad phorographers are doing more and more lifestyle photography!
A. Asheville NC
B. 1 child, will be 1 on May 17th
C. We live in a small apartment. My husband leaves for work at 8am. I work from home and have a babysitter come for a few hours a day. Some days I have to travel all day to different areas in NC so this drastically changes how my mornings go! My little one is starting to realize when I leave (or even if I’m in another room trying to work and not paying attention to him). Would ove this opportunity!
a) Louisville Kentucky
b) Two boys, ages 3 & 1
c) I work part-time in communications and also run my own design business by working from home. Husband is an Elementary administrator and leaves by 7am, most days he is home by 7pm – unless there is an after school function. Two days a week I work in an office – the boys attend a Mom’s Day Out program in the same building – so I get to take them to work with me. We are suppose to arrive by 9 but are consistently run about 10 minutes late. 🙂 The other days of the week I try to squeeze in work for my personal clients during playtime, meals and naps (the boys…not mine).
As a newer reader I’m so excited to see these images and read the series (+ possibly be a part of it?!).
*we live in Atlanta, GA
*we have triplets, 18 (almost 19) months old, 2 boys and a girl
*most of our family lives in Ohio, we don’t have a nanny or any help. I quit my job in accounting after the babies were born, and my husband is gone for work 8:30ish to 6:30ish during the week. So… It is me and the babies 90% of the time! They start waking around 6am but we try to keep them in bed until after 7. My husband changes the babies’ diapers around 7:30am and gets them into their play room as I get breakfast ready. They start to eat around 8, hubby leaves during this ‘breakfast time’, and the day rolls on from that point!
1. Glen Allen, VA (Suburb of Richmond)
2. We have two daughters, ages 6 months and 2 1/2 – and two dogs!
3. We live in a 4 bedroom home (5 bedrooms counting the playroom) and have been here for 4+ years. I’m a stay at home mom but I do work a few hours/week at the YMCA as a group exercise instructor and coordinator. My husband is in the process of starting his own business and works mainly out of the home. We have made our 3rd floor into his office, but he mostly works in the family room, dining room or master bedroom so he can be ‘closer’ to the rest of the family. Every day is different in our house! Some days, we are up early and rushing to get to the Y, or to pre-school. Some days we can stay home, stay in our PJ’s and play. Some days we go to play-dates, the park or other activities. We both feel blessed to be able to spend so much time with our girls and we try to soak in every moment!
My name is Amber Weathers and I live in Elkridge, MD which is 15 minutes outside Baltimore, MD. I have a 2 year old son Dominic and a 9 month old daughter Ava Grace, along with 2 big boxers, Gemma and Vinnie! My husband and I both work full time, but he has started his own industrial scaffold company, which takes a lot of his time. I work as Senior Occupational Therapist on the stroke unit in a local acute rehabilitation hospital working with stroke and brain injury patients. Daycare opens at 7 and I should start work at 7:30, but depending on the hectic morning and if my 2 year old cooperates, I may start at 8am! We live in a 1800 square foot finished basement in my parents home! But in the mornings it’s the kids and I!
A) I live in Chicago, in the south loop neighborhood.
B) I have one daughter, age 2.5. Kudos to people who have more than one, there is just no way we could physically manage it. Our daughter is exhausting.
C) our mornings start really early – around 5am. Our daughter usually wakes up singing totally off key, so we are serenaded with “baa baa black sheep” or “hot cross buns”. She is super active and almost every photo we have of her is blurry. I would be interested to see if a professional can actually get her in focus. We do nanny share so M/W we bundle everyone into the car by 8am for drop off, but T/Th the kids are at our house so it’s less hectic. We are in the throws of the terrible twos so there is at least one tantrum each morning, so if you are looking to capture hysterics, ours is the house for you! Despite having 3hrs to get everyone ready, I never seem to have time to eat any breakfast, so maybe your photography project can answer that one for me? Where does the time actually go?
-Audrey
I have two under two.
Bentley is 20 months
And my Harlow is 6 months. We try our very best to be out the door by 730- but it’s usually about 750.
Oh and I live in mercer county nj!
Great idea!
1) Chicago suburb (Downers Grove, IL)
2) 3 kids – 1 5 year old and twin 19 month olds
3) Two busy working parents – babies wake up around 6:30 each day. Sometimes I work out before they’re up, but usually they are my alarm clock. My husband takes the train downtown every morning, leaving the house around 7, and I am surrounded by glorious chaos until the nanny arrives at 7:30 and I take big sis to preschool. At this point, I turn off the soundtrack to Frozen, which we’ve listened to roughly 395 times this month, and take a few minutes to breathe deeply. The next 15 minutes is spent listening to NPR and sipping my lukewarm coffee before I hit the office.
A) Alexandria, VA
B) boy/girl twins 18 months
C) Up at 5:30 AM (baby girl wake up time) and leave the house by 7:30 AM. Husband involved in morning routine. We walk 3 blocks to daycare. 🙂 My twin sister lives 2 miles away with her 3 kids (under 6) and is married to a twin. (Might be fun to do a comparison between our two mornings! :))
1. Brookfield, Wi
2. 1 1/2 yr old daughter and a 2 1/2 yr old black lab who thinks she’s human
3. I stay at home, my husband usually leaves before we get up in the am…currently mon, tues, wed I watch another little girl so mornings are a little more chaotic rangling two toddlers
So excited
We live in myrtle beach, sc
we have two boys age 4 (almost 5) and 2 and a four month old daughter
my husband works. I stay at home with the kids. We do a lot of play dates and outings to the aquarium, museum, or story time. Our middle child has Down syndrome and participates in therapy at home three mornings a week. Our lives are quite busy and chaotic. It would be nice to have some of our morning chaos photographed so I can see it from a fresh view.
1. Orlando Florida- in golf community of Bay Hill
2. One son- 17 months and one due August 7th!!
3. 3500 sf 5 bed 3 baths across from golf course that my toddler practices at regularly!
I stay at home and my hubby works. My hubs gets our son up and started in the morning while I steal a few more minutes of shut eye! Mornings are going to look REAL different once baby boy #2 arrives!!
a) Parris Island/Beaufort, SC (between Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC on a military base)
b) one daughter, 22 months old
c) I am a stay at home/work at home mom. My husband is a Marine and currently works as a Drill Instructor which means he works 16+ hour days, 7 days a week for 3 months at a time. My daughter is my alarm clock, and our morning schedule is just the two of us and changes depending on what we need to get done that day.
A) 18 month old and baby due in July
B) Eau Claire, WI
C) I recently quit my job to be a stay at home mom. My husband works long days and travels often for work.
Congratulations! This is such a fantastic idea! Parenthood has been the most amazing and rewarding experience that I have had, even during the most hectic points of the day. Thank you for reminding us that there is beauty even in our rushed morning activities and interactions!
A) Somerville, MA (city that is next to Cambridge & ~2-3 miles away from downtown Boston)
B) One almost 2 yr old daughter (she’ll be 2 on June 11) & pregnant with another little girl who is due on May 30th!
C) My husband and I live in a small 2 bedroom house in the city, with our soon-to-be family of 4, 7 year old puggle & 13 year old cat. We’re up around 6 & break up the morning tasks (hubby walks the pup & I get our daughter up and dressed). I’m a high school teacher and am out the door by 7:00 for work and my husband is out by 7:45 for work. We share a nanny with another family & their little boy and host the share at our house every other month. I’m pregnant with our second daughter, who is scheduled to arrive on May 30th. Our mornings are pretty rushed, chaotic, and hectic. And although, I start maternity leave at the end of the month and may have a little more time in the morning at that point, I have a sneaky suspicion that our mornings are going to become even more chaotic with a newborn. I am definitely looking forward to having another little baby in our house again though & feel extremely blessed to have such a wonderful little family.
A. Forest Hill, MD (suburb of Baltimore, MD)
B. 3 kids – twin girls who turn 3 in May and a newborn son (born 3.14)
C. I’m currently on maternity leave but will be returning to work in June, I work part-time and my mom is our current babysitter for 2 days, and my husband is home with them 1 day, and I the other 2 days. My husband typically leaves the house at 7:30am and doesn’t get home until 8pm. It should be interesting getting everyone together and pumping before work. Our home is about 1800 sq ft in a family friendly neighborhood.
My family and I just relocated from Southern California to Minneapolis two weeks ago. We have a 15 month old son, Elden, and a 3 year old dog named Poe. We’re renting a house with a big backyard, and we just hired a new nanny names Sarah. We’re definitely still in a transition period, but I think we’re almost to the point where we have something approaching a routine. My husband usually leaves for work before 7am, before Elden wakes up. On a good day I’m up and out of the shower before he wakes up too, giving us an hour or so of play time. Breakfast happens in the middle of the kitchen, while the school buses pass by. Sarah arrives at 8:30, and I usually try to be ready to go and out the door as soon as she gets here to maintain a “bye-bye” routine and minimize mama-leaving-drama. We’re not quite there yet, so I usually drive away waving to a very teary-eyed boy. I’m pretty hopeful we’ll have it together by the time your tour starts though 😉
a) Berwyn, IL (about 5 minutes outside of Chicago)
b) 3 kids – 4.5, almost 3, almost 11 months… yeah, we are busy
c) My husband and I get up at 5/530 am. We have a cat and dog to take care of as well, so my husband usually walks the dog first thing in the morning. The kids get up anywhere between 615-645 (the two oldest are supposed to stay in their room until the clock turns green at 640, but that’s more of a pipe dream most days). My husband leaves about 10 minutes after the kids get up so he can get home to help with dinner and I am solely in charge of the morning routine for all three. The goal is to get out the door by 730 – all three kids go to the same daycare in the city (Chicago Loop) and both my husband and I work full-time. I would call our mornings hectic at best and most of the time I feel like a drill sergeant.
Tucson, AZ
2 kids, a 4 year old boy and 18 month old girl (and one friendly beagle named Walter who doesn’t get up until I give my kids breakfast)
I stay home with the kids, and my husband leaves for work in between 6:30 and 7 every morning.
We live in a modest sized 3 bedroom house.
If she comes on a Wednesday she can hang out in the driveway with us in our jammies, while we wave to the garbage man. It’s a hobby around here.
I’m a very new follower, but this is amazing!
1. I live in Holyoke, MA
2. I have an almost 5 year old son and two almost 2 year old daughters.
3. We are starting to look for a new house, because all the kids are in one room and the girls are starting to climb things! My husband has a flexible time schedule, but I am usually getting everyone up. I’m hoping to get back to work soon, which will add to the insanity!
This photo series is just lovely. I’m going to just hold it in my heart that my mornings have flashes of this kind of loveliness. Ellen
I missed the New York boat but just in case you come back….
1) We live in Washington Heights, NYC
2) 3 kids—4 (girl), 2(boy) and 10 month (girl)
3) I sah. 4 year old wakes up at some ungodly hour and crawls into bed until around 7:30 when 10 month old wakes up. I turn on the tv, leave them breakfast and go back to sleep until 2 year old wakes up around 8:15. Then I scramble to get everyone ready so I can drop 4 yo off at school by 9. I’m home by 9:10 and my husband is still sleeping. He’s usually out of the house by 10.
This is amazing!
We live outside Boston in Arlington, MA.
My daughter is almost 4 and my son is 14 months.
I stay at home with them. My son generally wakes up around 4:30-5am. My husband and I trade off who gets up with him. My daughter gets up at 6:45 (thanks to the OK to Wake clock!) and does a short yoga routine. We either both give them breakfast or the early riser gets to rest for a bit. MWF my husband leaves at 8:30 to walk my daughter to preschool. They love this time together and she usually ends up on his shoulders. Even though we’re up so early it’s chaos getting her ready for school. We live in a small two bedroom apartment so the kids share a room which makes things more difficult especially with the little guy screaming at 4:30. We love our chaos though!
a. Naperville, IL (suburb of Chicago)
b. daughter age 11
c. my daughter attends school, which begins at 7:45. I work from home, with a bit starting before she departs for school, and my husband (who is my daughter’s step-dad) works from home about 50% of the time. We live in a 4 bedroom colonial – typical mid-sized suburban home.
1. Bellmawr, NJ (right outside of Philadelphia, PA)
2. Married mom, 1 son (4 1/2 years old) who has Sensory Processing Disorder
3. Four bedroom Cape Cod. Husband gets up at 6:30am, usually right after Vince (our son) invades our bed. Vince and I stay snuggled until about 7:15am. Then we get ourselves ready via breakfast and are out the door for whatever the plans are by 8:30am.
Due to his SPD, he’s now home-schooled.
Love this idea, btw. Would LOVE to be a part of it… even hating mornings as much as I do. The idea that a project like this is underway makes me hate mornings a little less. Ha ha!
1-we live in Elmira, NY
2-I have 2 children, ages 2 and 3
3-Monday mornings I work the morning shift usually
Their father gets out of work at 7 and usually comes to get them on his way home since I have to be to work at 8 or 9am, depending. This is my special time with them before I go to work, so I try to cherish it even if it’s hectic
Hooray for the rest of us!!
A. Atlanta, GA
B. Daughter Anna (3y, born Jan 2011) and son Parks (5m, born Nov 2013)
C. My husband Ben and I both work outside the home 40+ hours per week. The kids go to a local daycare. Ben and I wake at 5:30 and he leaves with the kids around 8. I leave shortly thereafter once I clean up a bit. We have a large home in the suburbs of Atlanta. We also have a golden retriever that Ben walks each morning. In the 2.5 hours at home we shower, I nurse the baby, do Anna’s hair, do puzzles, make breakfast, make COFFEE, prepare bottles, walk to dog, get everyone dressed, and give Parks his Prevacid. It’s always full and always fun.
Thanks for the opportunity!
Chicago. 2 kids: boy (8) girl (5)
I teach yoga and have ms. We live in a single family house in Roscoe Village.
Hello, I am a 30 year old first time mom living in Long Island New York.my baby is 5 months old. I stay home with my little girl while husband leaves for work early at 5am. Which leaves me feeling like a single mom most days. We live in a fabulous home and most days after her early morning feeding me and baby wake up in the same bed along with our friendly pitbull (don’t judge me). I have no help, even though I probably should. I love my baby but gave up everything to stay home with her. It’s been rough but I’m learning to love it more and more everyday.
a) San Ramon, CA (near Oakland & San Jose- East Bay)
b) Jeffrey, age 6 & Bob, age 2
c) my husband leaves for work around 9:00. Jeffrey has to be at school at 8:15 and normally Bob and I walk with him to school. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I’m a SAHM…this year. I’m a teacher and I decided to take a year off to enjoy my kids before both of them are in school.
I have enjoyed the Monday Mornings Series and I always wished we lived closer to you so we had a chance to do that. What an amazing way to capture your best moments!
This is truly wonderful! My name is Kelly and I live in Folsom (a suburb of beautiful Sacramento, CA). My husband Derek and I have one child, a son named Jameson who will turn one in two weeks. We are also expecting our second bundle of joy in late September whose gender we will find out in one week! My husband works full time in IT and Project Management for a solar/water conservation company while I am a part time preschool teaching assistant. We usually are woken up by our lovely son at around 5:30 or 6am and thus begins our day. While I am at work from 7:30am – 12:30pm my mother and father watch my son, and after work I pick him up and we spend the rest of the day together. We live in a small-ish two bedroom apartment with our 5.5 year old dachshund named Ronin. Our mornings are usually chaos but we love them and would love to share them with the world.
a) the city/state you live in
b) the number and ages of your kids
c) any information you think might be relevant to your morning routine— what time you and/or your partner leave for work, whether your children stay at home/are in daycare/go to school/etc., if you work at home, if you have a baby on the way, if you are a single mom, if you have live-in help, if you have extended family at home, if you live in a small spa
This series has inspired me as a mom and as an aspiring photographer. It’s such a beautiful concept. Beauty in the chaos. Love it.
-Nashville, TN
-3 Kiddos. 6, 4, 2 (Two oldest boys have bdays coming soon. Youngest is a girl.)
-I work two full days outside of the home. Two days a week we are all scrambling to get out the door, the other three I am scrambling to get 1 or 2 kids (depending on day) + hubby out the door before the “Oops” sign at school. (As in, “Oops, you’re late)
-We live in a 3 bedroom home in a subdivision with our two dogs and a cat.
We live in a single family home with our aged pup Murphy in Shoreline WA, just north of Seattle.
Currently, both my husband and I work full-time, and the kids go to all day child care (2 separate drop offs currently, but just for 1 more week until Dominic joins his brother’s school). Mornings are…busy. Dan leaves at 7:10 to make a bus out to Bellevue. So we hustle to get the boys up (which they usually are, by 5:30am in some cases), dressed, mildly fed, and out the door. Oh, and feed Murphy and let him out. If it’s a Monday, there are no shortage of bags 🙂 I’m so curious to see this chain of events through a fly on the wall’s eyes!!
So excited to see all the beautiful photos of mom’s and babies across the country!
1.) We live in beautiful Butte Montana.
2.) I have a four year old son and a one year old daughter.
3.) Our day starts at 5:15. My husband leaves the house by six to head to his job at a local mine. I get the kiddos up, ready, and out the door by 7:15 (some days)! I am a teacher at a local elementary school. We live in the country so we leave a little early to drive into town, where I drop my son of at our family business, and my daughter off at daycare. My amazing mother transports my son to and from preschool and daycare while my husband and I are working. I feel like our routine is a total team effort and as crazy as our days, and especially mornings, seem I wouldn’t change a thing! I would love to be chosen and be able to see the beauty in all our morning chaos
Hi there!
My name is Lisa Crossman and I love this series! I so enjoyed seeing other families mornings and it made me feel so normal. Here goes on the information needed:
1) San Jose, Ca
2) I have 2 energetic boys: 1.5 years and 3.5 years
3) We live in the best part of the Bay Area of California! Our little family is here on our own so we basically do it all for our kids. My husband is from New Zealand and my family is scattered across the US. Our mornings range from down right insane (especially when my husband is traveling for work) to organized chaos. When my husband is home, we try to tag team on getting through the morning and help keep each other sane. I am mostly a stay at home mom, except for when I substitute teach at my son’s preschool. We are squished into a house that feels 3 sizes too small for us and our 2 enormous dogs. Mornings are never perfect and I can’t seem to function without that first cup of coffee but in the end, we’ve go each other and I (mostly) love it.
Can’t wait to see the photos of those you select!
a) Danville, CA (S.F. Bay Area)
b) 1 little boy… age 2!
c) My husband and I are both teachers (he works full-time, I work part-time). Just sold our home and are living with family (my mother in law) while our just purchased home is being remodeled. We (4 humans and 5 kitties) are sharing a typical suburban 4 bedroom home. Our son stays with his Grandmothers while we are working. If your photo shoot is taking place during the summer the whole family is home together every morning (unless the hubby is at football practice!)
San Diego,Ca- my husband and I have a 2 year old daughter and a baby boy due in August! He get home at 7am when we are waking up, we have breakfast before he goes to bed and we try to find quiet activities or somewhere to go until about 1pm when I go to work. We live in a townhouse that has turned into a toys r us in the last 2 years.
a) Monrovia, CA (part of Los Angeles county)
b) 2 kids – 3.75 years, and 5 months
c) Husband and I are up around 6 AM to get shower and eat (we are both engineers). He works at home, and tries to start working while we are all still home, with mixed results. 3.75 year old is up at 6:30/6:45 AM. I try to get the 3.75 eating breakfast before the 5 month old gets up at 7AM, and it’s time to nurse the 5 month old. After the 5 month old is done nursing, put the 5 month old in the playpen while I attempt to get the 3.75 year old ready for daycare. Then I get the 5 month old ready for daycare. Pack up all the bottles, clothes, food, etc for daycare. Pack up my laptop, snacks, pumping supplies, etc for work. Get it all out to the car, and try to leave by 8 AM. It’s RIDICULOUS.
I would love this!
The place: Campbell, California (a small town in the Bay Area)
The people: Me, my hubs and two kiddos — a 4 year old daughter and 10 month old son.
The situation: We live in a tiny two bedroom condo, that is bursting at the seams with kid stuff.
My husband and I both work in public education, he is a 4th grade teacher and I am a middle school counselor, so our work day start times are not flexible. My school day starts at 7:30am and his starts at 8am. Our mornings are frantic as we both race around doing our absolute best to beat our schools’ tardy bells.
There is no need for an alarm, my son wakes up at 5:30am every morning. My daughter has usually crawled into our bed at some point during the night so we bring the baby in and I nurse him as we all try to enjoy the last few minutes of calm before the day begins. From the moment my feet hit the bedroom floor, it’s go time. We tag team: I shower while he changes the baby, packs the lunches and starts the coffee. He showers while I get our daughter dressed, brush her hair and teeth and make breakfast. Hugs and kisses for all, lots of shouting ” love you, love you, love you,” and then I’m out the door. My husband drops our 4 year old daughter off at preschool on his way to work, and my mother in law comes to our home to watch our baby boy.
The quiet that occurs when I shut my car door is such a drastic change from the inside of my home, that at times I feel disoriented on the drive to work.
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Two moms with almost five year old boy/girl twins and a 16 month old girl. One mom is a teacher and the other a construction manager.
3. We have pretty mellow mornings. Mama leaves for work pretty early (6 ish) and Mommy gets the kids ready before she heads off to teach Middle School. We have a big family bed and love to cuddle in the mornings. Mommy leaves the big kids with grandma, who takes them to preschool and drops the baby off with the babysitter on the way to work. We’d love to meet you!
A) Austin, Texas
B) 3-year-old Nikolas, 20-month-old Isabella, 5-month-old Tabytha
C) husband works out of the house, occasionally telecommutes, 7am start. I telecommute right now, of a California-based company, 9am start. (I’ll start reporting to a local office mid-May, 9am start. Three kids go to nearby daycare, but we sometimes bring them in “batches” so neither of us has to bring all 3 at one time. Two toddlers, an infant in carrier, three bags … load into a vehicle, drive to daycare, unload, walk across a parking lot, drop-each kid off in a different room … Kinda chaotic.
A. Midland, Texas
B. I have two girls, 2 and 1/2 and a 6 month old.
C. I am a stay at home mom, my husband leaves for work at 7:15. My daughter attends preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have a regular size home, no epic mansions here! 🙂
We live in Washington, D.C. In the Capitol Hill neighborhood. We live in an 800 sq ft apartment. We have 2 children, Jude is almost 3 and Hope is almost 10 months. We are up at 6:30ish and the kids are up at 7. My husband leaves at 7:30 amd I am a SAHM.
I’m in Arlington heights!
welcome
=)
South Portland, Maine. I’m a stay-at-home mother of two girls, 1.5 and 3. Mornings are unpleasant for me, so I’ve designed my mornings to be as relaxed and enjoyable as possible. My 1.5 year old NEEDS me to be touching her for her first hour upon waking, so there are lots of snuggles and book reading. After that, we have a nice breakfast and then get out of the house to feed our chickens and go for a walk or a drive. This summer, we’ll take a 5 minute drive to the beach most mornings.
Awesome idea!
a) Round Lake, IL (northern Chicago suburb)
b) Three kids, 3 year old girl, 18 month old girl, and 5 day old boy
c) My husband and I both work, however I am on maternity leave currently with a tiny newborn at home. I’m also a teacher so when I go off of maternity leave, I will be home on summer break through the start of August. Our mornings are more relaxed during the summer instead of the hustle and bustle of the school year, when everyone is up and out the door by 6:30. During the summer I primarily care for the kids in the morning and get them breakfast and ready for our daily adventure. During the school year (August through May) I wake the kids up and get them started on their mornings while my husband gets the brunt of getting them out the door to day care and then work for himself. We haven’t really had a chance to run the routine yet with 3 kids seeing as we’re still in the newborn haze of life.
any information you think might be relevant to your morning routine— what time you and/or your partner leave for work, whether your children stay at home/are in daycare/go to school/etc., if you work at home, if you have a baby on the way, if you are a single mom, if you have live-in help, if you have extended family at home, if you live in a small space, if you live in a colossal mansion, etc.
We live in the D.C. Metro area in Upper Marlboro, MD.
I have one 5 month old daughter. I leave for work around 6am and my husband gets my daughter ready for daycare around 9am. Before I leave I get her fed and pick out her clothes. She takes a nap then he gets her up a few hours later, gets her dressed, makes breakfast and out the door when he is getting ready for work. Our pics probably would be more about how Dads contribute to getting our child out the door in the AM. We live in a large end unit townhome in the suburbs that backs to trees.
I live in Winamac, Indiana.
I have three children, ages 7 (1st grade), 3 (preschool), and 8 weeks (daycare).
My husband leaves for work early in the morning, so it’s only me getting the children ready. I am currently on maternity leave, but go back to work the first week of June. Trying to nurse my newborn and get her ready to leave, as well as two older children ready to go (including one who insists I spike his hair every day so he can “get girls”) can be incredibly difficult, especially if there are limited clean clothes and the wrong type of cereal and someone is sitting in someone else’s seat and a homework page is lost. Our mornings are typically rushed. I would love to make my children a fantastic breakfast every day with homemade muffins, fresh fruit, and fresh squeezed orange juice, but that’s just not us!
Chicago
one 6 month old son (& dog)
We try to sneak out of bed without waking “daddy,” change baby, make the french press coffee, play/read, eat breakfast, walk dog
Yes! As soon as you did this series, I searched around my area for photographers that offered the same service and had zero luck.
I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I have one boy who just turned 2, as well as three cats, which I also consider my children. You can count my boyfriend too if you want, he’s basically another child. My boyfriend and I swap days on taking our son to daycare, and whatever morning we don’t have, the other pretty much does everything so the other can sleep. Unless it’s a workout morning for me, then I get up while everyone is still in a slumber and do my thing, then wake up the rest of the gang. I leave around 7:20am and my boyfriend leaves around 8am. We live in a small townhome that hasn’t been updated since the 80s or 90s. I actually used to live there when I first moved to Nashville 20 years ago, and I’m still using the same appliances I used back then. My mornings always feel hectic and rushed because there’s no routine to them, but we’re working on it!
A) St Louis, MO
B) 2 kids, 8 and 6
C) I am a stay at home mom, dad works downtown, leaves home around 7 each morning, usually before anyone else is up and moving. Kids school starts at 9, they typically ride the bus which stops just down the street from our house, but on nice days we walk less than a mile to their neighborhood school. Our house is your typical 2 story in the burbs! My son is an early riser, usually bounding out of his room at 7 on the dot, fully dressed and ready for his day. So while he eats breakfast, I pack lunches and snacks and we chat, then I wake his sister and she and I repeat the process while he chills and watches sports center! I think our mornings are boring, but not too crazy, and would love to see them the way I was able to see them the way the NYC series turned out – beautiful and special 🙂
I live in Pittsburgh, PA with my husband and 17 month old son. I am currently 27 weeks pregnant with my daughter, due in July. I work part time Monday-Wednesday and my son goes to daycare on those days. My son is an early bird and wakes between 5-530 am. My husband leaves for work around 6 am and I leave anywhere between 7-8 am. We live in a 3 bedroom townhouse. We also have a little Maltese dog.
a) Woodridge, Il (western suburb of Chicago, about 30 miles from the city)
b) We have one daughter who is 18 months and another baby on the way. Still in the morning sickness phase of the pregnancy.
c) We’re usually up by 6am. My husband takes our daughter to “school” (daycare) on his way to work and I work from home full time. Our usual routine is that my husband gets up with my daughter, changes her diaper, and brings her into our room so she can nurse (unless she demands Mommy and then I go to her, change her diaper, and bring her in to nurse). While she nurses, my husband usually gets her breakfast ready for her to take to school. We shower and get ready (although I usually don’t put on makeup until later in the day since I’m working from home and no one sees me, but I pick up my daughter from school, so I have to look presentable then). My husband usually dresses my daughter while I blow dry my hair and then I do my daughter’s hair. We all go down stairs and start to get ready for my husband and daughter to leave. I walk our daughter out to the car and put her in her seat and say goodbye. We aim to be out the door between 7:15 and 7:30. I feel like we’re racing around all morning. Once my husband and daughter leave I head back inside the house to start my work day. We live in a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house with two dogs and one cat. My father in law lives across the street and sometimes we see him when we’re heading to the car to leave for school/work. Our daughter is a happy, social toddler who loves routine and “helping.”
I’m so excited to see more of this series! My husband and I live with our 14-month-old in a 900 square foot apartment in Vancouver, WA (about 15 minutes away from Portland). My husband works from home while I hang out with our son and keep the house in order. Our mornings typically don’t start until 7, and it’s usually just me and the kiddo until 9. Can’t wait to see what cities are featured! 🙂
San Diego, CA
Kids ages: 7, 5, 2 and baby due in 17 days
My hubby works at the local community college…leaves around 6.
It depends if he hits the snooze on the alarm. Ha! I’m a full-time stay home mom. I home school my two older kids. We live close to my mother in law and her mom. Trying to sell our houses so that we can all buy a property where we can be together. I’m a part-time photographer and of course have tons of pictures of my kids but hardly have pictures of our lives as a family documented except via my iphone. That would be awesome if you chose San Diego!
I’m so excited for this series! I live in Chicago. I have a 5 month old baby girl. She is full of life. Her current favorite pastimes are screaming at the top of her lungs and growling. Routine? Not so much. I’m a business owner and work downtown Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I have a nanny those days. My husband usually travels Sunday – Friday. So, it’s usually just me running around like a crazy person. I’m in survival mode on weekdays. I try to get out of the house by 8am, but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes my daughter wakes up before 6am and wants to play, and sometimes she will sleep in until 7:30am. I know we need a better schedule, but I can’t pass up an opportunity to shower in peace. I try to feed her and spend a little time with her before I hand her over to the nanny. Lately, no two days are the same. On Thursday and Friday I “work from home” while she naps. We live in a duplex (2 bedroom, 1.5 bath) on the 3rd and 4th floor of our building on the Northside of the city. It seemed like enough space until our kiddo (and all her stuff!) came along.
1. I live in Philadelphia, PA.
2. I have one son, who is 9-months old
3. I am a very part-time pharmacist (I work one day a week), and a mostly stay-at-home mom. My mom and MIL take turns watching my son when I work.
My sister-in-law forwarded this to me. Until I read this post, I wouldn’t have thought that our mornings were anything but a stressful mess. But we are not alone! Really enjoyed the article.
a) We live in Kenner, Louisiana (a suburb of New Orleans)
b) We have 3 boys: 5 1/2, 3 1/2, and 10 months
c) My husband and I both work…he is a fireman and I am an attorney for a bank. His schedule requires him to be gone for 24 hours at a time, so some mornings if lucky, we have both of us getting the boys ready, while when he’s working it’s just me. The two older boys are in preschool while the baby goes to a sitter’s house. Our mornings always start with everyone in our bed (they all start in their own beds but by morning, have all found their way into our room). I usually roll out of bed with the kids, get dressed with the baby at my feet and the other two fighting over whatever for the morning. We usually are up around 7 and leave about 8. One won’t eat while the other won’t get dressed. We usually settle for chips for the non-eater, and letting the other where his pajama pants with a t-shirt. Wouldn’t trade any of it!
a) Fort Worth, Texas
b) I have one boy – 20 months old
c) My husband and I get up around 7, our son anytime between 6:30 and 8. My husband is an architect in town and leaves around 8. I do freelance graphic design from home while taking care of our son. We just bought our first house and have our very first yard! We try to spend at least part of the morning on our porch enjoying all the green (we just moved back to Texas after living in the desert. So. Much. Green.).
I love this project!
Don’t know if you’d be interested in the teen family scene, but …
1) I’m in Pittsburgh, PA
2) My kids are 13 & 14
3) Hubby leaves for work at 6:30, the Boy at 6:50 and the Girl at 7:10 … and I stay home.
I think it’s pretty awesome that Allstate is partnering with you for this!!
a) Allen, Texas (suburb of Dallas – yeehaw!)
b) 3 kiddos – 4 yrs, 18 mos, 15 mos (I’ll explain)
c) How are there two kids three months apart? The story begins with 2 best friends who met in 5th grade. We stuck together through all the things life throws and ended up living 2 miles apart from each other 22 years later. Then we had kids (separately… we are not sister wives). David (4) and Alex (15 mos) are Alona’s. Layla (18 mos) is Roxanna’s. Both husbands work and are very involved. Alona works full time in marketing, Roxanna works full time as an attorney.
We have the pleasure of sharing every single (slightly chaotic) morning because we share a nanny who keeps the two littles at Alona’s house. We joke that they are the best way to have twins – 3 months apart and from different wombs. But they totally look alike, which is kind of creepy.
Our mornings go something like this:
TEAM ROBERTSON (Mike, Roxanna, and Layla): Up at 5:30 so hubs and I can be showered, fed, and dressed by 6:45 when the adorable beast arises. One of us cooks breakfast while the other showers. Mike cleans up the kitchen, while I put on my war paint. About 6:45 – enter the adorable beast. She wakes up smiling (always) and I get her changed and dressed while Mike tends to the geriatric cat (he’s a benevolent a-hole). Morning milk awaits Layla when we come downstairs after saying good morning to her toys, the pictures, the stairs, the cat… She chugs while we load up the cars with diaper bags, brief cases, and various necessary accoutrement. We kiss the kitty, turn off the lights (Layla insists on conserving power), and kiss daddy good bye as he goes off to work. By 7:30, the ladies of Team Robertson head over to Layla’s “school.” Oh, and Team Deeke also lives there.
TEAM DEEKE (Alona, Matt, David, and Alex): The alarm goes off at 5:30 – Matt (loyal husband and father) hits the shower first while I lay in bed thinking about how glorious it would be to sleep all day. I hear the shower turn off – it’s my turn. While I am getting myself work ready, Matt empties the dishwasher and “prepares” the house for day. 6:45 is when our youngest wakes up (Alex – 15 months old). Matt gets him out of his crib, changes him, and gives him his sippy cup of milk (which he drinks on his daddy’s lap). Then the peaceful change of power occurs – Alex is handed to me for cuddles while daddy leaves for work. 7:00 Papa arrives (this is Matt’s dad) to take David to school. Alex climbs into Papa’s lap and I begin the arduous process of waking David up and getting him ready for school. 7:30 Cipriana (the nanny) and Team Robertson arrive.
TOGETHER AT LAST:
By 7:30, the Robertson ladies arrive at Team Deeke headquarters to join Alona, David, Alex, Papa and Cipi (nanny extraordinaire). Cipi is now officially in charge of Alex and Layla – school is in session. This begins the best 30 minutes of our day, which is incidentally the most gloriously chaotic. All of this happens at once: David gets ready for school, Cipi gets breakfast ready for the littles, the littles demand hugs/food/water/frozen teethers which they will then scream/fight/play/push each other over. Really, it’s all interchangeable depending on the day. Layla cops an attitude, Alex (affectionately called our “bulldozer”) flies around the living room (decor: daycare chic). The adults stand back and watch the gloriousness unfold until we leave for work and leave Cipi at the mercy of both adorable beasts. At 8:00 David is ready and leaves with Papa for school, Aunt RoRo is out the door to work. By 8:10 Aunt Lolo (Alona) give kisses to Alex and Layla, tell Cipriana to call me if she needs anything and leave for work.
Then on Tuesday, we do it all again.
a) Tarpon Springs FL/suburb of Tampa
b)1 daugher 2.5 years old
c) My daughter goes to preschool. I work full time and drive 1 hour each way to work. My husband is currently unemployed so our morning routine has changed somewhat! I wake up about 6 and my daughter and husband get up about 6:30. Now that my husband is searching for work he has taken on a lot of the household chores and it’s still trying for us to adjust! He does a great job it’s just different as my daughter wants “mommmmmmmmmmmmy” 🙂
Hey! My name is Kimberlee. I’m a mom of two boys. Our oldest just turned five and will be starting kindergarten in August. We adopted our youngest last fall. He is now 7 months old. I work outside of the home Mondays through Thursdays as a preschool Speech-Language Pathologist in the school system. I also work as an Independent Distributor with It Works! Global. My husband works with Griffon Group as President of the Combat Trauma Division. On a typical Monday morning, my husband and I are up about 5 am. We get ourselves ready first, mostly. Monday mornings, my husband has to leave early, around by 6 am. Our oldest wakes around 6:15 to get ready with help/encouragement. Then I wake up the baby and we attempt to be out of the house by 6:45. This routine will change somewhat in August, as our oldest starts kindergarten and our youngest starts daycare. Who knows what that will bring as far as times, but the general process should remain the same!
Virginia Beach, VA
2 – 5 and 1
We usually leave for work around 7/715. I’m in the Navy and my husband is a DoD contractor. The 1year old is the only one here all the time. The 5 year old stays with his mom most of the time in Richmond. I take my daughter to day care right down the road.
I was able to finish a cup of coffee in the morning today for the first time in a year and a half!
Love this idea!
a) I live 45 minutes south of Boston on the coast of MA, in a small town near Plymouth called Kingston
b) I am the thrilled mom of one amazing wild thing of a daughter – currently 13 months!
c) I work at MIT and my husband is a sculptor who owns a successful contracting/carpentry business. I have a long commute so we get up early and leave the house by 7:00am. Our mornings start with a 30 minute cuddle session with our girl in bed (which lately equates to her nursing quickly then climbing all over us and singing!), then an hour-long whirlwind of getting everyone ready and out the door! My husband is very hands on so we both take part in getting our girl ready for the day. She goes to my mother’s in-home daycare every day – my husband does drop off after taking me to the train station to head into town. We live in a cute farmhouse with a big barn and a garden. We love photography, art and design so as a result our house is pretty interesting (in my opinion!) We’d love to be part of this project!
a) Geneva, IL (suburb of Chicago)
b) 2 kids (boy, EZ almost 3 and girl, Ava almost 6)
c) We live in a house that’s 160 years old but updated. It’s not what you consider cookie cutter and it’s smallish and very close to the downtown area of Geneva (we do a lot of walking).
My husband and I leave at the same time each morning. Two days a week (tues & thurs) my mother-in-law (who happens to live next door and I’m totally ok with it because she’s cool) watches the kids. M, W, F Ava goes to kindergarten and EZ goes to school/daycare. We leave around 7:40am so that Ava’s not late for school.
Jason (husband) and I work together in the morning to get everyone dressed, feed, polished and out the door on time(ish). EZ is in the midst of the terrible 2/3s so he’s a bit of a mess at all times of the day. Ava certainly has her moments and you never really know what kind of mood she’ll wake up in. 😉 That said, I try so hard to keep the kitchen clean but it’s usually a mess of lunches being made, yogurt smeared on the counters and spilled milk.
Denver, Colorado!
I am a part-time stay at home mom with two girls, age 5.5 and 2.5. Our older daughter is in full-time kindergarten and the younger stays home with me. My husband leaves at varying times each morning, sometimes as the kids are waking up, sometimes after we leave to go to school.
a) Jenkintown, PA (Philadelphia Suburb) in an old stone home we have been lovingly updating.
b) 2 Children: Evangeline (Evie) age 4.5 (she insists on adding the half) and Oliver 2.5 (he mimics everything she does and thus the half too)
c) My husband and I both work from home. I own an online children’s clothing boutique so I never really stop working, my hubby works for a company on the West Coast so he is either not here or he is working from home. Our mornings start with either one or both kids already in our bed or they make their way for some good ole snuggles. Sometimes we are up at 7, other times we have sleepy heads who “sleep in” until 7:45. We finally get up and moving and then its off to the races. The kids go to nursery school. Evie Tuesdays through Fridays and Oliver on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Overall our pattern is snuggle, breakfast, dress, get in the car and zoom to school. I make breakfast (some days), Daddy does the school run (he also makes my coffee).
To boot, my mother currently lives with us though she usually checks in when the kiddos, or just Evie depending on the day, are getting dressed. We are typically running a couple minutes late so there is a lot of cajoling, especially if they are eating breakfast in the living room (a bad habit formed by Noni letting the kids watch some toons and eating) and if Evie and I are debating whether her outfit is too fancy for school or not. Sometimes it’s a flurry of activity and I am thankful when the house is quiet and I can get down to business (or occasionally run to the gym!). However, I love and appreciate every.single.morning.
1) Richmond, Virginia
2) One daughter, age 4 1/2
3) We are a late-20s/early 30s couple with a daughter who was a (very happy) early surprise in our young marriage. We moved away from city life for more room just outside the city. Both my husband and I work out of the home full time (I’m in marketing/PR for a university). My husband has to leave for work before our daughter gets up, so most every morning it’s just me and her. She goes to a preschool in the city (near where I work) 3 days a week, one day a week at my mother’s house and one day a week at my mother-in-law’s house. It’s kind of a crazy routine! Not an abnormal routine, but I usually have to remind myself several times what day it is and where she goes. We are contemplating having another child soon, but seem to get intimidated often by the thought! Sometimes I don’t think I could manage more than one! But what a blessing she is. Would LOVE LOVE LOVE this opportunity!
We also have 2 crazy dogs (a big lab and a teeny Chihuahua) to add to the mix!
This is so awesome! I would love to be considered. I live in Denver, Co. I have 4 kids: Ella age 8, Andrew age 6, Straton age 5, and Lauren age 9 months. My husband usually helps the big kids get breakfast while I get dressed and nurse the baby and then he leaves at 7/7:30. Then I help the big kids pack lunch and pack up while the baby snacks in her high chair. We usually have a few minutes of play time before we leave at about 8am for school. The whole morning is usually a scramble, but with 4 kids, pretty much everything feels like a scramble!
I love this idea and the photos from the first Monday Morning photo shoots were amazing. In the chaos of everyday getting ready for school and work, I often forget to enjoy the ‘moments’. I live in Pittsburgh, PA (GO PENS!) and am mom to a 7 year old daughter in 1st grade and a 5 year old son in preschool. My husband works in retail and his schedule is different every day and no week is the same. So, some monday mornings he is around to help and some he is long gone. We get up around 7am (thanks to my son the alarm clock) and get my daughter up (she’s not a morning person at all), pack lunches, make breakfast and brush teeth and then off for the bus around 8am and then have about an hour til we head to preschool. I work part-time for a local nonprofit. Some hours are downtown and some are at home while kids are in school and sleeping. We live outside of the city and I am often ‘that mom’ who didn’t get dressed or brush her hair before waiting for the bus. If I owned a bathrobe, I would be wearing it. Instead I am wearing my yoga pants and t-shirt from two days ago. Oh and I don’t do yoga. The house is constantly in disaster mode. I’ve accepted that only 1 room of the house can be clean at a time, and that is only for about an hour. Fortunately my husband and I both agree that we want our house to be ‘lived in’ and comfortable and home for all of us. So, toys and footballs underfoot are the norm. That is us in a nutshell!
Gah–congrats on the sponsorship! Exciting endeavor for you. =)
-We live in Minneapolis, MN
-We have 21 month old identical twin girls (former 27 week preemies, doing stellar now!) and I’m 32 weeks pregnant with #3 (don’t know gender…only know that it’s ONE BABY). Due June 23rd.
-My husband teaches kindergarten and I teach 1st grade at a school for the deaf. We leave for work around 7:15am and have a nanny that comes from 7-4:30 daily to take care of the girls (and soon all 3–yowza), except in the summer when we’re both on summer vacation, and I’ll be on maternity leave until beginning of October. The girls wake around 6:15 and chatter in their cribs until we go get them at 6:45 (not 6:43…not 6:44…6:45 on the nuts). Nick sits in the chair and reads with one–in the most hilarious voices imaginable–while I wrestle the other, pissed that she’s missing the story–into clean dipe and clothes (ponies if I’m lucky). Nanny arrives and makes breakfast for them while they pitifully beg at our feet for bites of our breakfast, signing “more please” and winning bites of scrambled eggs for their cuteness.
Would be an honor to let your photog capture our crazy Monday mornings! And Mpls is amazing in the summer. =)
a) I live in Irving, Texas (a suburb smack dab in the middle of the Dallas/Fort Worth area)
b) I have 2 children and we are working towards growing our family through adoption again soon with a sibling group! Our older son is 21 (adopted as a teenager) and our younger son is 17 months old (adopted from birth). They are both amazingly vibrant boys, full of life and love. They adore each other oh so much and my husband and I adore them even more!
c) Our morning routine is about to change as I move from working full-time to staying home. However, I will still be working part-time as a contract employee throughout the year. Most mornings we wake up between 7-7:30am. I make coffee, get lunches ready, and respond to emails until the toddler wakes up. He loves to sing and talk gibberish until either we (dog included) sneak in to wake him up. He loves mornings! Then it is breakfast time while the husband wakes up and gets ready for work. On days I am not working, we either play at home for a bit or head to a local park/museum. We have a mid-sized home at 3,000 sq ft but love to play outside in the backyard, front yard, or in our driveway. On Friday’s the toddler goes to grandma’s so she gets to be there to enjoy waking him up and getting him ready. Most mornings it is a chore just to get him to leave his room as he loves running around, playing with toys, and reading books. Food (or the dog) is the only way to get him out of there most of the time. Between going on outings, working mornings, or just whatever is on the schedule, we can get a pretty full and hectic calendar, but I love mornings with my family! Here is our blog if you wanted more information about our family with pictures of our boys: http://carsonfamilyjourney.blogspot.com/
Oh Ilana, I love this idea so hard! (Met you many moons ago at BBC Boston.)
a) I live in Northbridge, MA
b) I have 3 sons, ages 12-1/2, 9-1/2 and 8-1/2.
c) My husband and I are full-time working parents. I typically get up and head to crossfit class at 5:15am, come home by 6am and pack lunches and backpacks and then head up to shower. My husband comes down and makes breakfasts for the boys (who are pretty self sufficient). My oldest heads out for the middle school bus at 7:15, I head to work, and my husband stays with the younger two until their 7:45am bus.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Daily.
This is too funny because I was just talking with my friends about how absolutely chaotic and horrible mornings are! I live in the small town of Ashland, MO with my husband and 3 children. Adisen (girl) is 6 and in 1st grade, Drew (girl) is 5 and in pre-kindergarden and my baby boy is Drake 2. He is in daycare full time since I work full time. Since we live in a small town both my husband and I work out of town about a 20 minute drive. He is a teacher so has to leave around 7. I typically get myself ready for work then wake up my kids to get them ready, fed and dropped off to 3 different places before I head out on my 30 minute drive myself to work. My pre-k daughter can’t be dropped off until 8 am so I had to change my work schedule. I try to have them all ready and left the house by 7:30 since it takes about that long to drop off even though each place is only about a mile if that from each other. Usually it’s closer to 7:45 and I am rushed and late to drop all off. Excited to see all the pictures of the families. It always makes me feel better to know I’m not alone in the chaos!
a) Rosenberg, TX
b) one kid, girl, 4 years old
c) I work for a group of radio stations and my husband is self-employed. I have a VERY long commute to Houston every day. Bella goes to Montessori pre-school in Sugarland, which is about half-way between home and work. She loves to sleep in (don’t be jealous) which is super-nice on weekends and pure hell Mon-Fri. So I need to see the “beautiful moments” that are there while I do everything humanly possible to get her up and on the road.
I live in Conyers, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. My husband and I have two children a son who is three and a daughter who is 14 months. We live in a typical suburban home. My husband works in Atlanta and I was a high school English teacher, but now stay at home. My parents live one house over and my mother is always over helping me juggle it all. I feel like the mornings are the most rushed part of the day. I loved the Monday morning series, and would be excited and terrified to have someone come to our home and photograph us first thing in the morning.
Hi my name is Tara I am a mother of 3. Ages 8-Abby 7-Connor and my youngest 3-Jamison We live in Gainesville FL. Myself or my husband will get the kids up around 6-630 depending if I am working that day.I am a part time substitute teacher. My son will not eat breakfast while my daughter will. I have there lunches already made the night before. We are out of the house by 7-730 while my youngest stays at home with either myself, my husband or my sister watches him. We are in the process of trying to potty train him, but he has no interest what so ever. He usually gets up around 8am and first thing he wants his breakfast, then right afterwards he does a number 2 and will refuse to go on the potty. He then turns our family room into his own little play room. My husband has just completed nursing school and is continuing school for his BSN. He also works as an EMT. I hope we get to see you!
a) Philadelphia!
b) 3 boys, currently 4yr old and twin 22mo olds
c) our routine varies daily and the situation will also depend on what month you plan on doing this photo project. We currently have a Nanny, but our next au pair (live-in) joins the family in late July. I love, love, love having an au pair as part of our family and can’t wait for our newest one to join us! My husband leaves each morning by 7:30am. My schedule varies as I am in the process of launching my own consulting practice, which affords me a lot more flexibility. On Tues & Thurs I’m usually out the door with my oldest for daycare by 8am, while the Nanny stays in the house with the twins. On Wednesdays, me and all three kids leave together. We drop my oldest at daycare and then I take the younger boys on an adventure in the city before I head into the office around noon. On Mon & Fridays I go to work as soon as the Nanny/au pair clocks in (usually by 8am). Our kids are all early-risers so our day starts by 6am. When we have an au pair, its a bit stressful, because we try to keep them contained and quiet until 7am. We live in a townhouse about a mile from Center City – vertical living — narrow rooms and lots of stairs! My oldest rides his bike to preschool on days I don’t have the twins in tow, which is downright adorable. Not much else is cute or memorable of our morning routine though. Keeping three entertained and out of trouble while both my husband and I get showered/dressed can be hectic, though filled with time for snuggles. By 7am we have usually assembled everyone downstairs for breakfast, and depending on the start time of the Nanny/au pair, we will either play a bit in the basement, or do a quiet arts & craft project, while I try and make the kitchen presentable, fight my oldest to get dressed, make lunches, etc…
a) Dallas, TX
b) Daughter, Sarah, 10 months
c) Our morning routine varies daily. My husband leaves for work no later than 10:20am. I work from home so my day starts when my first conference call begins (which varies). Sarah usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30. We spend the first 30 minutes or so in bed nursing. Then my husband watches her while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Sometimes he feeds her breakfast. Sometimes he just plays in bed with her. Then we switch and I take over Sarah while he gets ready for the day. Then we all gather in the kitchen for a mad rush of breakfast and getting my husband’s lunch ready. It’s a whirlwind! 🙂 Then I hang out with Sarah (either playing in the living room or keeping her entertained while I’m on conference calls) until our nanny arrives at 11.
This is so wonderful – I think every parent needs to see their hectic lives from this view. It is a beautiful reminder of the true happiness that lives in our homes at all times.
1)I am from Tucson, Arizona – a city that loves the outdoors, thrives on UofA sports and is welcoming and laid back.
2)I have three kids – a 13 year old step daughter and 20 month and 6 month old boys.
3)My husband is a fireman and I work full time for a consulting firm. We live in a middle class neighborhood in an 1,800 square foot home. Most mornings I wake up with the boys at our home while my husband wakes up at the fire station. I rush to get diapers changed, breakfast on the table, the baby nursed, myself showered and everyone dressed and ready for the day before my husband gets home or our fabulous sitter – who is also my step daughters mom – come and care for the boys. We are usually up between 6:00 and 6:30am and I am out the door on my way to work by 8:00am. Our boys are lucky that most days my husband is home and even luckier that they get to spend time with their ‘Aunt Mimi’ when we are both at work. I always get a raised eyebrow when I explain our childcare arrangement but we are proud of our modern family and I love ‘Aunt Mimi’ as much as my boys do.
No two mornings are the same in our home and I just feel fortunate that regardless of how the morning goes, I know that the boys will have a great rest of their day.
1) Rural Southwest WI
2) 4 yrs, 3 yrs, 1 yr
3) I am a stay at home mom. Our community is small,with a population under 5,000. We live in a 4 bedroom house on 5 acres. Between my husband and I we, own/invested in 3 businesses and my husband has a job as well. Some days we have to be out the door for preschool drop off by 8 and some mornings we stay home and get things done around the house!
“We live in a rainbow of chaos.”
Paul Cezanne French artist
“Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.”
Stephen Sondheim
“Awake,chaos:we have napped.”
― E.E. Cummings, Complete Poems, 1913-1962
a) Boston, MA (Melrose suburb 15 min. North)
b) 2 kids Lucy 2.5, Juliette 2 months
Do I count my husband here? He is called the “professional child” by all our friends and family cause he is the fun/crazy one always building a snowman, or a tower, and running around with all the cousins.
c) Our house is a 1920’s colonial set on a hill overlooking the town. It has the many things I love about an old house: wooden floors and stairs that creak, a built -in china cabinet. My husband and I are both 32 and most of the time work as a team to keep this household running.
My maternity leave stops in a week; the thought of how my morning routine is going to change scares me. Right now it is lots of snuggling, and stolen moments in bed. There is no worrying about getting out the door. We can stroll downtown to the coffee shop for breakfast, then head to the park. I have no idea how I am going to leave the house with the diaper bag sufficiently packed for two. Mostly, I can’t see myself wearing something other than yoga pants.A thought keeping me sane? I still have the summer. As a teacher so I am holding onto that thought for the next 2 months.
So depending on when the photo shoot happens…my work or summer routines are drastically different. Both chaotic, one considerably less because I do not have to be up and out of the door at the crack of dawn.
When teaching I leave around 6:45/ I am a chronically late person, tho so many mornings are rushes. I try to pack and do as much as I can the night before. My husband is a graphic designer, and used to be out of the house at 6:15 to travel to his job at a newspaper. Now after leaving that job, he paints houses in the summer and recently started to substitute teach. This means he will be around to help more, which is great. If we ever have enough time for breakfast, Daddy cooks. (Why is it that his eggs are so much better than mine?)
Luckily my mom will be babysitting the girls. Thank God for Nanny. So I get to bring them over in pjs. So many of my favorite morning memories with my older daughter are her slumped over my shoulder, still asleep as I carry her out to the car seat. The sunrise is just coming up. As she wakes up I try to be happy in the morning for her…so I set aside my grogginess and smile as I point out how beautiful the sky is…bright oranges and pinks or soft yellows. On some mornings if Lucy wakes up while I am still getting ready, she tries to dip into my makeup. I get frustrated, “you can hold this one…not this.” Meanwhile thinking of the time. I picture this as being frustrating…but from an outside point of view–like the Monday Mornings ones, it probably looks pretty beautiful. Mother and daughter, in a tiny bright, apple green room, under a little chandelier surrounded by hairbrushes and makeup scattered on my grandmother’s vanity. I picture my future routine now with Lucy perched on over knee and then her baby sister in her seat. One hand will either be brushing my own hair or holding in the baby’s bink.
Amongst the chaos, I must remind myself that these mornings are fleeting, that the girls will only get older. If I pause, I can find my inner peace and center. I can feel as calm and still as a photograph. I would love the opportunity to have my Monday morning life seen through the lens of an artist, who can capture the rainbow of beauty in the chaos. A photograph can catch such flowing and fleeting moment and turn them into something that endures.
Love this!
a.) Saugerties, NY
b. )2 children, Jack 2 yrs 10 months, Lila 11 months
c.) We live in a big, unique, modern, green home on a beautiful piece of property. We have a tech wellness start up that we run out of our home so we don’t celebrate weekends. Mondays are actually my favorite mornings! My husband sleeps in the office Sunday nights and leaves early Monday mornings so it is just me and the kids until the nanny comes at 8:15 for Lila. At 9:00 after 45 minutes of trying to get my son dressed (he is a nudist) I walk Jack to his Waldorf pre-school which is luckily across the street. Then, after a long weekend, and before a long week, everyone knows that Monday mornings I turn off my phone and take a mommy nap!
This sounds like so much fun! I live in Sacramento, CA with my hubby Pete and our 2 kids; Estella (age 6) and Maxwell (almost 3). I work Mon-Fri. Pete’s schedule is more unpredictable, working every weekend and some weekdays. Typically, on mornings when we both work, hubby is gone by 4:30 am, I’m up at 5:30am, and wake the kids up around 6am. We usually leave the house between 6:45-7am. Estella goes to school and Max goes to daycare. Days that daddy is home, Max stays home and I drop Estella off at school.
Our mornings consist of me hollering across the house at Estella to hurry up and brush her teeth and get dressed. I usualy lay her clothes out the night before, or as I’m waking her up in the morning. While I leave her to brush her teeth and put her own clothes/shoes on, I tend to her little brother, who is yelling and knocking on his door from inside his room (which we keep babylocked so he doesnt wander the house unattended while we sleep). Once I enter his room, I am greeted with “hi Mama” followed by a hug and kiss, diaper change, supervising while he brushes his teeth, then get him dressed. While he plays/waits, I comb/fix Estella’s hair, make sure her homework/snack is in her backpack and her shoes are on. Mornings that Pete and I are both home are less hectic as I typically get myself and Estella ready while he gets Max ready, and then its in the car we rush, usually with breakfast (instant oatmeal for them, coffee for me) to go in the car for our 15-20 min drive to school/daycare. There are usually toys all over Maxi’s room and Estella’s bed isn’t made, and there are dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink. Rare mornings that Pete is home and we get up early enough, kids get to eat in the kitchen nook while I get dressed. My makeup is usually done at the million stop signs/red lights I encounter on my way to dropping the children off or after I arrive at work in the parking lot.
Geez, writing it all out like this souds even worse than I imagined my mornings look like! yikes!
a) Cheyenne, WY (80 mins from Denver) in a 5 bedroom single family house
b) one little dude, age 2
c) Um, mornings are a mess. We are fortunate to benefit from my husband’s rotating schedule, but that means it’s kind of a chore to keep anything consistent. If it’s one of my mornings with our son, we’re running late, probably eating in the car, possibly having a melt down. The dogs are probably being needy and the house is a disaster area (seriously, didn’t I just clean this living room/kitchen/bedroom last night? where does this stuff come from?).
If my hubby is with him, they’re cuddling on the couch, eating whatever they feel like and playing. They get to daycare or grandma’s house whenever they feel like it. Clearly, I am jealous of their set up. It would totally be worth the trip–Wyoming is beautiful.
a) Tampa, FL
b) 2 children, ages 4 and 1 on 5/22
c) I am a SAHM, my 4 yr old goes to daycare 3 days a week, my 1 yr old stays with me, my husband is military and leaves for work right about the time we get up. My 4 yr old only wants to wear tutus, so mornings can be a struggle.
This is AWESOME!
I live in Denver
I have one son, Micah who is 5 years old and attends kindergarten
My husband and I are both teachers; he works at our son’s school, I work a few miles away. We are all up by 6ish and out the door between 7 and 7:45. When the weather is nice-ish, I drop them off (and they walk home) when it is really nice, they ride bikes.
They both love mornings (me, not so much). My son would eat breakfast for 2 hours every morning if we let him (we did when he was little and I worked from home!)
a) Los Angeles, CA
b) 1 daughter, 17 months old
c) Both my husband and I work full time. I’m usually on my own in the mornings, because my husband leaves for work before we wake up. We all co-sleep in the same bed and I’m still breastfeeding. My daughter likes a top up before she actually wakes up, so I’m generally trapped in bed with her, waiting for her to wake up, which is usually around 7. But I love it! It’s our special time, (if you count getting my Facebook fix at the same time as special). 😉
But it also means I have about an hour to get us out of the house in time for me to drop her off at my in-laws and then make it to my 9 am meeting.